Latest News

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to jeopardize the well-being of our sisters and brothers bravely working on the frontlines, we owe it to those who came before us and to those who will come after us to demand that every working person in the United States has the right to come home after work.

Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act a half-century ago, but its goal – to ensure a safe workplace for every U.S. worker – is still far from reality. Union members and our allies continue to fight each day to realize that promise, but as working people throughout the nation know, the struggle is far from over.

This April 28, OPEIU invites you to join us in observing Workers Memorial Day to remember and honor our friends, family, neighbors and colleagues killed or injured on the job. This remembrance of those who made the ultimate sacrifice also serves as a renewal of OPEIU’s commitment to ensuring workplace safety for every person in the U.S.

Because of the current economic and health uncertainty facing many of our members, your union is making it possible for all students who enroll through the OPEIU Low-Cost Degree Program at Central State University this summer to complete their degree with no out-of-pocket costs.

OPEIU members who enroll in the term beginning May 18 can do so under the same terms as the OPEIU Free College Program. All new and continuing students who are enrolled this summer will be eligible for a Free College last-dollar scholarship, which allows students to complete their degree (through graduation) with no out-of-pocket costs for tuition, fees or e-books. This represents a savings of more than $9,000.

Students can finish their teacher education or business administration bachelor’s degree affordably and safely. You must have earned an associate degree or have at least 60 credits in either field to be eligible. And remember, if you haven’t earned your associate degree you can do so as always for NO COST through the OPEIU Free College Program.

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced an interim enforcement response plan for the coronavirus pandemic. The response plan provides instructions and guidance to OSHA Area Offices and compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) for handling coronavirus-related complaints, referrals, and severe illness reports.

During the coronavirus outbreak, OSHA Area Offices will utilize their inspection resources to fulfill mission essential functions and protect workers exposed to the disease. The response plan contains interim procedures that allow flexibility and discretion for field offices to maximize OSHA’s impact in securing safe workplaces in this evolving environment.

“OSHA is committed to protecting the health and safety of America’s workers during this challenging time in our nation’s history,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Loren Sweatt said. “Today’s guidance outlines commonsense procedures for investigating complaints related to the coronavirus, while also ensuring the safety of workers, employers, and inspectors.”

Like all healthcare professionals across the world, McLaren Macomb Registered Nurses and Front-Line Workers are responding to the Covid-19 crisis. We are dedicated to our work of keeping our communities healthy and safe. To do that effectively, we need our leaders to protect and support us.

We call on McLaren Macomb to immediately implement the following policies:

1.Provide employees with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including N-95 masks, gowns, surgical caps, gloves, and goggles. Provide a consistent stock of cleaning supplies so that employees can clean and disinfect their work areas.

2. Grant a 80 hour emergency PTO bank for staff to use under quarantine applying to any COVID-19 related illness. Use of PTO should not count against employees attendance record.

3. Provide hazard pay for ALL employees working in direct contact with patients and the public.

Now is the time for all of us to rise to the occasion and…

As we continue to practice social distancing measures to protect ourselves and others, there has never been a better time to reflect on the struggles and sacrifices of those who came before us. OPEIU has put together a short and certainly non-exhaustive list of labor films worth watching as we weather this crisis together. 

Need more? The United Association for Labor Education has compiled a comprehensive list of films on labor, work and an array of societal struggles for equity and equality. 

Check it out here.

50 YEARS AGO, Congress passed the Occupational
Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right
to a safe job. Unions and our allies have fought hard
to make that promise a reality—winning protections
that have made jobs safer and saved lives. But our
work is not done. Each year, thousands of workers are
killed and millions more suffer injury or illness because
of their jobs.

Download more information below:

Fact sheet
English Poster
Spanish Poster

Applications are now being accepted for the 2020 OPEIU Student Debt Reduction Program. Full details, rules and applications can be found here as well as on the OPEIU app*.
OPEIU will provide five awards of $2,500 to OPEIU members who have at least $10,000 in student debt and are able to prove their account is current. A member can receive an award only once in a lifetime, and must have completed an associate or undergraduate degree.

Our nation is facing one of the gravest health and economic emergencies in over 100 years. The coronavirus pandemic has had a deep impact on every aspect of American life — and bold action is required to address the health emergency, mitigate the economic damage and provide for a strong recovery.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, House Democrats have focused on ensuring our nation’s response puts workers and families first: their health, their wages and their well-being.

https://www.speaker.gov/sites/speaker.house.gov/files/COVID%20TOOLKIT%203.30.20.pdf

Every ten years, the United States Census Bureau conducts a sweeping survey of all U.S. households. The crucial demographic data documented in the survey has a far-reaching impact on how the federal government distributes resources to our communities, ranging from Medicaid and food stamp funding to infrastructure investment and even the size of your state’s congressional delegation.
Take five minutes today to do your part and fill out the 2020 Census online, over the phone or by mail using the information on the postcard you should have received in your mailbox by April 1. Visit my2020census.gov for more information on how to fill out the short form with big implications.

All OPEIU Local Unions, Guilds and Directly Affiliated Groups:

The new deadline for the John Kelly, Howard Coughlin scholarships and the Romeo Corbeil/Gilles Beauregard Summer Camp is May 31, 2020.

Please email all completed and signed applications to rosa@opeiu.org.